KUALA LUMPUR: The Turtles are steadily picking up steam and turning deadly for the Malaysia Cup final against Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) tomorrow.
And Terengganu coach Tomislav Steinbruckner, 57, is about to realise his dream of leading a team in front of an electrifying and thunderous crowd of more than 80,000 fans at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
Croatian Steinbruckner may come from a nation with a great World Cup history but he has never experienced leading a team in front of a huge crowd.
In his native Croatia, the stadium with the biggest capacity is Stadium Maksimir, which can accommodate no more than 36,000 fans.
Steinbruckner has proved to be a wily coach, as Terengganu even outshone Australia's Central Coast Mariners in the Asian-level AFC Cup recently.
"I have heard about Terengganu's sweet memories of playing in the final, and we want to give it our all to bring something back big for our fans," said Steinbruckner.
"We are ready. I may have younger players in my squad, but I have asked them to be fearless to be successful."
Terengganu's naturalised player Liridon Krasniqi is also available for the final as he is no longer a JDT player on loan.
But Steinbruckner said the national player will likely start on the bench.
Meanwhile, JDT coach Esteban Solari said he accepts his team's mission to win the treble as a challenge rather than pressure.
"I know from the outside, everyone believes it's an easy match for us, but it isn't.
"Everything needs extra efforts but at the end of the day, it's the players with the winning mentality, the character and the attitude that will succeed.
"There's going to be plenty of fans from both teams. This is the kind of feeling we want and everyone is ready for this. It will reflect on the pitch."
Solari said the Southern Tigers will follow their playing philosophy, which has worked for them all these years, and focus on the task at hand rather than worrying about their opponents.
In the last six meetings between JDT and Terengganu in the Malaysia Cup, the Turtles lost all their matches.
The last time the East Coast team won the Malaysia Cup was back in 2001 for their first and only title (they beat Perak 2-1).
